Healthy Japanese Recipes

Find healthy, delicious Japanese recipes including Japanese vegetables, noodles, pork, tofu and sushi recipes. Healthier recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Japanese Cucumber Salad

Rating: 4.4 stars
5
This Japanese-inspired cool, crisp salad is as elegant and well balanced as it is simple.
By Jessie Price

Shrimp & Vegetable Kakiage Tempura

Kakiage, which means "gathered and deep-fried" in Japanese, is a tempura made with sliced vegetables and sometimes seafood. This light and crispy tempura combines shrimp, onions, carrots and herbs and looks similar to a fritter. I serve it with sea salt and lemon wedges or with soy sauce, with rice and pickles on the side and fruit for dessert.

Veggie-Packed Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pancake)

This savory Japanese pancake is typically made only with cabbage. Our version includes zucchini and carrot too. Top with fried eggs to make it a meal.
By Jenni Ridall

Spicy Ramen Cup of Noodles

Rating: 4.75 stars
7
Make your own cup of instant soup at home with this vegetarian ramen recipe. Pack several jars at once to take to work for easy lunches throughout the week.
By Devon O'Brien

Japanese-Style Spinach (Gomae)

Rating: 5 stars
1
Typically you puree sesame seeds to make the dressing for this traditional spinach side dish recipe, but we use tahini to make it easier and quicker.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Chicken Ramen with Bok Choy & Soy Eggs

Ditch the seasoning packet! Homemade ramen may take more time but it's worth it for the deep, impressive flavor. This healthy ramen recipe features tons of vegetables and soy eggs, which are hard not to eat just on their own.
By Kathy Gunst

Matcha Green Tea Latte

Rating: 5 stars
4
A touch of honey balances the bitterness of matcha in this healthy latte recipe. For a nondairy latte, swap unsweetened almond, soy or coconut milk for the low-fat milk.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Homemade Chicken Ramen Noodle Bowls

Transform canned chicken noodle soup into quick ramen bowls by adding fresh ginger, crunchy vegetables, herbs and a jammy soft-boiled egg. Look for a low-sodium soup that has 450 mg sodium or less per serving.
By Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Miso-Glazed Scallops with Soba Noodles

Rating: 4.9 stars
4
This Japanese-inspired dish uses one sauce--a sweet/salt combination of mirin and miso--to make both the marinade for the scallops and the caramelized pan sauce for the noodles. A good pairing would be a simple green salad dressed with a citrus vinaigrette.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Coconut Shrimp Curry with Instant Ramen Noodles

A splash of coconut milk and some curry powder elevate ordinary ramen soup into a memorable bowl of noodles. Add protein with cooked shrimp or cubed tofu and a pop of freshness with cilantro and lime juice. To cut back on sodium, look for ramen varieties with less than 600 mg sodium per serving or use less of the seasoning packet.
By Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Easy Miso-Chicken Ramen

Rating: 4 stars
3
Warm up a chilly evening with this healthy chicken-and-vegetable ramen noodle bowl recipe. For a little spice, top with hot sauce, such as Sriracha. Look for dried curly Chinese-style noodles near other Asian ingredients in most well-stocked supermarkets. For a substitute, try whole-wheat angel hair pasta and cook for a few minutes longer.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Soy Sauce Eggs

Rating: 4.5 stars
2
Try this salty-sweet hard-boiled egg recipe as a swap for deviled eggs at your next party or as a midday snack. Or serve on top of your next ramen noodle bowl.
By Kathy Gunst
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Inspiration and Ideas

How to Make Japanese Cucumber Salad

How to Make Japanese Cucumber Salad
Vegetable noodles aren't just for hot pasta dishes! Make wide, flat cucumber ribbons for this refreshing Japanese salad recipe!
Master Bun Lai’s Sushi Recipes

Master Bun Lai’s Sushi Recipes
Find out how Bun Lai makes healthy sushi that’s sustainable and affordable and how you can too.
How to Pack a Healthy Bento Box Lunch

How to Pack a Healthy Bento Box Lunch
Healthy Japanese Recipes for Weeknights

Healthy Japanese Recipes for Weeknights
Japanese Chicken-Scallion Rice Bowl

Japanese Chicken-Scallion Rice Bowl
Rating: Unrated
15
Chicken Katsu with Creamy Slaw

Chicken Katsu with Creamy Slaw
Rating: Unrated
2

Japanese Shiitake & Vegetable Rice (Takikomi Gohan)

Dashi gives this vegetable rice recipe its savory depth. Rinsing the rice may seem like an extraneous step but it removes some of the surface starch for fluffier rice. And soaking the rice in seasoned dashi before cooking infuses the dish with more flavor.

All Healthy Japanese Recipes

Sesame Instant Ramen Noodles with Broccoli & Soft-Boiled Egg

Jazz up basic ramen noodles with toasted sesame oil, quick-cooked broccoli and a jammy soft-boiled egg. To cut back on sodium, look for ramen varieties with less than 600 mg sodium per serving or use less of the seasoning packet.
By Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Wasabi Salmon Burgers

Rating: 4.43 stars
4
Bring out the flavors of salmon with a Japanese-inspired infusion of ginger, sesame oil and wasabi. If you serve these patties on whole-wheat buns, consider reduced-fat mayonnaise and sliced cucumbers as condiments. Or skip the buns and set the patties atop a vinegary salad of greens, carrots, radishes and sprouts.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Spinach Salad with Ginger-Soy Dressing

Rating: 4.75 stars
4
This spinach salad tossed with spunky ginger dressing was inspired by the iceberg salads served at Japanese steakhouses across the U.S. Add shrimp for lunch or a light supper.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Japanese-Inspired Chicken Noodle Soup

Rating: 5 stars
1
This healthy, Japanese-inspired chicken noodle soup recipe is made with udon noodles and gets a hit of umami flavor from a swirl of miso at the end. To make the miso easier to stir into the soup, combine a little bit of the hot broth with the thick miso to thin it before adding to the rest of the soup.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Chicken Yakitori with Broccoli

Rating: 5 stars
1
Yakitori--chicken skewers common in Japan--get a thick soy glaze before and after grilling for maximum flavor in this healthy dinner recipe. Double or triple the recipe for a fun party appetizer. Serve with steamed short-grain brown rice or over rice noodles drizzled with the extra sauce.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Beef & Asparagus Negimaki Rolls

Rating: 3.67 stars
4
This Japanese recipe for beef negimaki rolls (in which beef flavored with teriyaki sauce is wrapped around scallions) includes asparagus as well for extra vegetables.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Smoked Salmon Brown Rice Onigiri

These Japanese rice triangles can be made simply with seasoned rice or filled with vegetables or protein. Cooking a bit of starchier short-grain white rice with the brown ensures they hold together—but still gives you a filling dose of fiber.
By Ivy Manning

Edamame Nibbles

Rating: 4.8 stars
1
This healthy edamame recipe is a classic Japanese preparation. Enjoy these nibbles as an appetizer or healthy snack.
By Mariana Velasquez

Sichuan Ramen Cup of Noodles with Cabbage & Tofu

The Sichuan province in the southwestern corner of China is known for its fiery dishes. Here, the richness of tahini tempers the spicy chile paste in this cup-of-noodles-style mason jar soup recipe. You can grind the Sichuan peppercorns in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, or crush them with the bottom of a heavy skillet.
By Sarah DiGregorio

Japanese-Inspired Beef & Noodle Salad

Rating: 4.83 stars
3
Sirloin steak, soba noodles (Japanese buckwheat noodles) and shredded carrots make this healthy, sesame-soy steak salad recipe a sophisticated, easy dinner any night of the week.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Matcha Cream

Rating: 5 stars
1
Powdered green tea blended with sweet whipped cream is a popular parfait topping in Japan, particularly in Kyoto. Here the cream is lightened with low-fat yogurt cheese to make a pretty and delicious topping for poached pears and other desserts.
By Victoria Abbott Riccardi

Pickled Ginger

Making your own pickled ginger is easy and delicious. Pickled ginger is served as a palate cleanser between sushi courses. This pickled ginger recipe has no added dyes, unlike store-bought pickled ginger, which often contains food dye.
By Bun Lai

Japanese Shrimp & Eggplant Fried Rice

In this healthy fried rice recipe, shrimp, eggplant and edamame are tossed with tangy Japanese ponzu sauce for a delicious one-bowl dinner. If you don't have leftover cooked rice on hand, be sure to thoroughly cool your rice before adding it to the wok--if it's too warm, it creates too much steam and sticks to the wok. To quickly cool warm rice, spread out on a large baking sheet and refrigerate while you prep the rest of your ingredients, about 15 minutes.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Deconstructed Sushi Bento Lunch

This healthy bento box idea makes it easy, healthy and affordable to have sushi for lunch as often as you'd like! Skip the rolling and place sushi ingredients like rice, shrimp and avocado in a bento for a packable lunch for work.
By Holley Grainger, M.S., R.D.N.

Japanese Chicken Meatballs (Tsukune)

Rating: 4.5 stars
2
Chicken meatballs called tsukune are a Japanese-restaurant favorite--they're essentially a chicken sausage mixture flavored with garlic and ginger. Use flat sword-shaped skewers instead of traditional round bamboo skewers to keep the meatballs from slipping when you try to turn them. Serve with bowls of steamed rice on the side.
By Bruce Aidells

Beef Tataki

Rating: 3.25 stars
2
Tataki is a typical Japanese preparation in which beef or fish is seared on the outside, left very rare inside, thinly sliced and served with a citrusy soy sauce. In this version, a springy salad of crisp radishes and carrot matchsticks combined with sliced onion provides textural contrast to the flavorful steak. Serve this dish over a bed of buckwheat soba noodles to make it a meal.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Soba Noodles with Roasted Eggplant

Rating: 5 stars
2
Roasted eggplant makes a creamy sauce that coats pasta quite nicely. Soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles) add a lovely nutty flavor to the dish, but you can also use linguine.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Pasta e Fagioli with Instant Ramen Noodles

Quick sautéed vegetables, canned tomatoes, dried oregano and canned beans transform ramen noodle soup mix into this classic Italian favorite in minutes. To cut back on sodium, look for ramen varieties with less than 600 mg sodium per serving or use less of the seasoning packet.
By Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Soy-Marinated Flank Steak with Soba Noodles

Rating: 3.75 stars
3
Flank steak takes on savory Asian flavors with this quick steak marinade recipe. We like buckwheat soba noodles for their nutty flavor but any noodle, such as rice noodles or spaghetti, works well too.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Inside-Out California Rolls with Mango & Spicy Mayo

Rating: 4 stars
2
Skip the takeout and try this easy sushi recipe at home. A twist on the classic California roll, these are as much fun to make as they are to eat. Rolling with the rice on the outside takes a little extra dexterity but the eye-catching sushi-bar results make it worth it.
By Gaby Dalkin

Smoked Salmon Maki Rolls

Skip the rice and just use seaweed to make these healthy sushi rolls filled with smoked salmon, avocado, carrot and cucumber. Serve with soy sauce for dipping.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Pork & Turnip Miso Ramen

Rating: 3 stars
1
Ramen gets a healthy makeover in this “spiralized” vegetable noodle recipe. We swap noodles made from mild turnips for ramen noodles, but other vegetables, such as zucchini or yellow squash, would also make noodles perfect for this Asian-inspired recipe. Serve with sriracha hot sauce for a kick.
By Breana Killeen

Miso-Ginger Marinade

Asian flavors unite in perfect harmony in this tangy marinade.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Scallops Yakitori

Rating: 5 stars
1
“Yakitori” is a Japanese word that literally means “grilled bird,” a reference to chicken bits on skewers in a sticky/salty sauce. The sauce itself is so favored that it has come to be known as “yakitori.” Here we make yakitori with scallops, mushrooms and scallions. Don't overcook the scallops; just a few minutes over the heat will do the trick.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen
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